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Thursday, 8 November 2012

Yoko Ono to curate Meltdown festival

Yoko Ono is to curate next year's Meltdown festival,
following in the footsteps of stars such as David Bowie, Ray Davies and Jarvis
Cocker.

The 80-year-old
artist, and widow of John Lennon, said she was "deeply honoured" to
be directing the festival on its 20th anniversary.

The 10-day
event includes concerts, DJ sets, talks, films and the visual arts.

Ono's
curatorship follows a major exhibition of her work at London's Serpentine
gallery earlier this year.

She praised the
event's "great tradition of experimentalism mixed with classicism that has
made the festival such an enduring part of the British arts landscape".

No line-up has
been announced, but the well-known peace activist is expected to focus on
issues such as environmentalism and feminism.

"I am now
starting to approach names from all over the world, some of whom you will know
and some who might be new to your world," said Ono. "Let the fun
begin!"

The festival
takes place at London's Southbank Centre from 14-23 June 2013.

Earlier this
year, former Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser made a rare concert
appearance at the 2012 event, which was curated by Antony Hegarty, from Antony
and the Johnsons.

Ono herself was
invited to appear at the festival in both 2009 and 2005, when it was curated by
New York punk singer Patti Smith. Other curators over the course of the
festival's 20-year history have included Morrissey and Nick Cave.